Project by

About this project

LIKE THIS ELEGANTLY PRODUCED MOVIE SAYS I am a cellist who is planning to arrange a bunch of video game songs into cello pieces and then share them with the internet!

Several years ago, I started bringing my cello to conventions and playing anime and video game music by ear for the random passersby. I got a lot of encouragement, especially for the Zelda and Final Fantasy melodies that crossed my strings, and started arranging certain tunes I felt would be fun and good to play on the cello. That turned into the first collection of "Doom Strings", which had a bunch of songs from various games, all played by me overdubbing myself.

Well, it was a pretty amateur recording, and I have since lost or sold all the hard copies I had. Here I am, years later, still playing as many video games as ever, with a lot of time on my hands. Now that I'm older and a more practiced and experienced musician, I feel that I could do better! And that is what I shall do.

Here is a list of tracks I plan to arrange and include on this album:

Final Fantasy VII: JENOVA

Super Mario RPG: Fight Against a Somewhat Stronger Opponent

Crash Bandicoot: Wizards and Lizards

Shenmue: Sha Hua's theme

Chrono Chross: Scars Left by Time

Chrono Trigger: Main theme

Shadow Hearts: Brain Hopper

Legend of Zelda: Overworld theme

Super Mario Brothers Medley

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney medley

Tales of the Abyss: Karma

Seiken Densetsu 3: Walls and Steels

Secret of Mana: Distant Thunder

This is a semi-finalized list. If there is enough demand or if it seems like there is WAY more interest than I expected, I might include more songs on the list.

MAD, WHERE IS MY MONEY GOING?

Oh yes, you might be wondering why it's necessary to ask for money for this project! Well, my process goes as follows: I listen to the song a billion times over and try to pick out the necessary melodic and harmonic bits and fit them into logical parts. I basically take a fully orchestrated song and try to break it down into three or four parts so that I can play them on the cello. This is time-consuming as you might imagine!

My next step is practicing the parts to perfection, and the time it takes to do that really depends on the song. My goal for this album is for a really professional sound, which means a lot of practice.

What comes next is recording. So far, I have been making do with what I have, and it's not terribly bad, but if this project gets funded, I will use the money to help pay for a mic and the appropriate accessories. The mics I've been researching cost about 100 dollars, but my computer is also kind of shot to pieces. I need better processing power, and, well...that's probably where some of the funding will go.

To break it down with numbers, let's say it takes about 5-8 hours to break a song down and hand write all the parts out. Then it'd take another 3 hours to practice them and record them with all the takes. Another hour later and the song is mixed together and ready. That's about 9 - 12 hours per song. I have about 13 songs on the list, so that's about 130 hours. I'm a musician, so I usually don't get paid a wage, but I'd give myself at the VERY least 15 dollars/hr. That's about $1950. Add in the costs of prizes such as the posters, CDs, and postcards, and also the cost of a good mic, then $2000 seems to be a fair estimate.

MAD, WHAT ABOUT COPYRIGHT?

After all, aren't these songs all property of someone else? Indeed they are, and credit will be given where credit is due. I will be writing cello versions inspired by the tunes written by these amazing composers. Ever heard of cover bands?

MAD, WHEN CAN I EXPECT RESULTS?

It's hard to say, but I'd set the deadline at least at the end of this year. I have a pretty good work ethic, especially if I'm getting paid for it.

FAQ

Rewards

Pledge $2 or more

Two dollars? Wow -- that's cheap! With this, I will send you a free bonus track that will not be public. What will it be?!

Estimated delivery:Dec 2012

You selected

Pledge $15 or more

12 backers

Pledge ten buckaroonies or more and I will send you the special bonus track as well as a hard CD copy of the album.

Estimated delivery:Dec 2012

You selected

Pledge $25 or more

8 backers

For a contribution of 25 dinaros, you will receive a personal thank-you postcard from me, as well as the above goodies.

Estimated delivery:Dec 2012

You selected

Pledge $50 or more

10 backers

The special people who so pledge fifty of their hard earned dollars will be entitled to receive the special bonus track, a personal thank-you postcard, a hard copy of the album, and a full-name mention in the CD credits as a donor.

Estimated delivery:Dec 2012

You selected

Pledge $100 or more

1 backer

For one hundred dollars or more, I will send you all of the above goodies, as well as a signed poster featuring me, my beautiful cello, cosplay, and, of course, my signature.

Estimated delivery:Dec 2012

You selected

Pledge $150 or more

0 backers

One hundred and fifty dollars is a lot, but it doesn't come without benefits! You will receive the above-mentioned items as well as a sticker sheet with adorable cello-cosplays.

Estimated delivery:Dec 2012

You selected

Pledge $200 or more

1 backer

Two hundred smackaroos gets you all the above, plus a copy of my hand-written arrangements, so that you can try playing this stuff yourself!

Estimated delivery:Dec 2012

You selected

Pledge $500 or more

0 backers

For this amount, the above goodies will most certainly not be enough! I will take one song request from you and post it online for all to hear! I swear, I will practice it, too.

Estimated delivery:Dec 2012

You selected

Pledge $1,000 or more

1 backer

For one thousand dollars, I will arrange a video game song request from you and include it on the album. Any song from any game that you think would sound fantastic on the cello!
It goes without saying that you would get the above benefits as well.

Estimated delivery:Dec 2012

Funding period

Jul 17, 2012 - Aug 16, 2012
(30 days)

Eureka! You've found our little secret.

Sign up for our Happening email for all the inside info about arts and culture in the Kickstarter universe and beyond.